Tensions in the Middle East ratcheted up dangerously Wednesday, a day after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane, with the Turkish President accusing Russia of deceit and Russia announcing it would deploy anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on his ministry's Twitter feed that the country would deploy S-400 defense missile systems to its Hmeymim air base near Latakia, on Syria's Mediterranean coast.

The missiles have a range of 250 kilometers (155 miles), according to the missilethreat.com website. The Turkish border is less than 30 miles away.

At College of defense management i had warned the course participants that the world is closer to large scale conflict than we think.

In 1990-91 the USA had collapsed the economy of the USSR by bringing the price of oil down to just 20 $ a barrel. The USSR had gone down without a shot being fired.The USA is doing it again to Russia. Price of oil has been brought down from 140$ a barrel to just 40 $ a BBl and will go down even furthur once Irani oil flows into the market. US has also imposed sanctions against Russia .Russia seems to have decided to go down fighting if it has to. That is why the Russian push back in Ukraine and Syria in a big way.

Turkey's shooting down of the Russian plane and having its pilots killed by the Turkomen mujahideen is a STUPID and serious provocation. Turkey is now scurrying to the NATO for cover.

I dont think the Russians will take this loss of face lying down.They may try to inflict proportionate damage by letting their SU-35 class aircraft fly shotgun for its fighter bombers near the Turkish border.. That has serious possibilities of unwarranted escalation.

We are headed for a dangerous escalation.Japan had similarly been forced to hit out in World war II at Pearl Harbour. However ,Unlike Japan Russia has a huge stockpile of nuclear arms.We are closer to large scale conflict than we think..

MOSCOW: Russia plans to retaliate against Turkey for the downing of a warplane by imposing sanctions, cutting economic ties and scrapping major investment projects.

Since the plane was shot down Tuesday in disputed circumstances on the Syria-Turkey border, Russia has already restricted tourism, left Turkish trucks stranded at the border and announced the confiscation of large quantities of Turkish food imports.

On Thursday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered his government to also draft sanctions against Turkey within the next two days in response to the downing of the Russian Su-24, which he described as an ``act of aggression against our country.''

The sanctions will include "restrictions and bans on Turkish economic structures operating in Russian territory, restrictions and bans on deliveries of products, including foodstuffs,'' as well as on labor and services.
Overall, the nosedive in relations threatens billions of dollars of international trade, as well as further complicating the Syrian conflict.
Russia is the largest destination for Turkey's exports, and the two countries are bound by plans for a new gas pipeline and strong trade in food and tourism.
As recently as in September, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and predicted a tripling of bilateral trade to $100 billion in the next eight years.

Any reaction could exacerbate both countries' economic troubles. The IMF predicts Russia's economy to shrink by 3.8 per cent this year, while the Turkish currency has slumped in value in 2015.

Russia will eliminate Turkey one way or the other. Turkey relies on Russia for over 90% of its electricity, water, food, and trade. Russia can either cut them off entirely, or simply NUKE them. Either way, Turkey is gone in a month. Turkey has realized that and today has coddled up to Russia by ALL news reports. It really does not matter who you cheer for. Your cheering has no bearing on the outcome.

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Do not get upset with people or situations. Both are powerless without your reaction.

Russia will eliminate Turkey one way or the other. Turkey relies on Russia for over 90% of its electricity, water, food, and trade. Russia can either cut them off entirely, or simply NUKE them. Either way, Turkey is gone in a month. Turkey has realized that and today has coddled up to Russia by ALL news reports. It really does not matter who you cheer for. Your cheering has no bearing on the outcome.

Please post links to some of those coddling news.
Taking the jet down with 90% dependency is unlikely. Please post some source for that too.

The Rewards of Attacking Russia - 1300 Turkish Hotels Up for SaleThe Turkish tourist industry is nose-diving thanks to the dearth of Russian visitors

Well, Turkey's decision to shoot down a Russian plane, then demand Russia apologize for it is continuing to reap rewards for the Turkish tourist industry. The Turkish daily Today's Zaman reports:

As many as 1,318 hotels have been put up for sale along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts after Russian sanctions along with security concerns hit Turkey's tourism industry hard.

The Mediterranean resort of Antalya has the highest number of tourism facilities -- 410 -- that are listed for sale, followed by the provinces of Muğla, which has 349 for sale; İzmir, 203; Aydın, 162; Balıkesir, 139; Çanakkale, 35 and Denizli, which has 20 in total listed.
What a resounding success of Turkish foreign policy. The story continues:

Denizli Colossae Thermal Chairman Abdurrahman Karamanlıoğlu said a number of hotels in resort towns were left on the brink of bankruptcy after Russia imposed sanctions against Turkey after the latter downed a Russian warplane in November last year.

“We talk the realities but officials put a brave face on the issue. We have been heavily affected from the jet crisis. Especially the hotels in Antalya; being closed for the last four months, most of those are on the verge of bankruptcy,” Karamanlıoğlu said.
The report further states that Turkey's tourism revenues fell 8.3 percent to $31.46 billion in 2015. Maybe not a good idea to attack the country that supplies the majortity of your tourists.

And all because Russia is bombing the Islamic terrorists Erdogan is buying oil from. Shame.

Every US President has faced a war, is Turkey going to be the cause of next war.. and NATO will be involved if Russia attacks Turkey.

Quote:

Russia's ambassador to Turkey was assassinated at an art exhibition in Ankara on Monday, after the gunman shouted, "Do not forget Aleppo!" as he opened fire.

Mevlut Mert Altintas, an off-duty police officer, was the gunman who assassinated the Russian ambassador to Turkey on Monday, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said in a press conference. The attacker was born in 1994 in the town of Soke in Turkey's Aydin province, he said. Turkey's official Anadolu news agency reported that the gunman has been neutralized. But it was not immediately clear whether the attacker was killed or captured by police.

The shooting of Ambassador Andrey Karlov was captured on video. Russia's foreign ministry described it as a "terror attack."
Russia has been instrumental in helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in its push to retake the eastern sector of Aleppo, which had been held by rebels for nearly four years.

"We are currently in contact with Turkish authorities, who are assuring us that a thorough, comprehensive investigation will be conducted," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in remarks broadcast on Russian television. "Murderers will be punished. Terrorism won't sustain. We'll fight it."

Here's what we know right now:
• Karlov was giving a speech at the opening ceremony of a photo exhibit when the gunman opened fire.
People cower after Karlov was shot. &quot;Get back! Get back!&quot; the gunman could be heard shouting in Turkish.&lt;br /&gt;

• People cower after Karlov was shot. "Get back! Get back!" the gunman could be heard shouting in Turkish.

• The gunman gestures near the body of Karlov. In a video circulating on social media, the shooter is heard shouting, "Allahu akbar (God is great). Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria! Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria!"

• The gunman shouts near the body of Karlov. "Only death will remove me from here. Everyone who has taken part in this oppression will one by one pay for it," he said in the video.